The Very Best Ads From The "Mad Men" Era

1. Volkswagen

Ad agency: Doyle Dane Bernbach.This ad ran in Life on August 8th of 1969, two weeks after the astronauts returned safely to Earth. Obviously, the men at DDB had it ready to go.
No product shot, no body copy. Just a timely, simple, effective truthful idea that sold the hell out of the car.
See 8 more of the brilliant 1960s VW print ads right here.

3. Braniff Airlines

Ad agency: Papert Koenig Lois.Created by a very mad, Mad Man, George Lois, who had these mad words to say about Mad Men.
Love the look on Liston’s face.
Warhol was probably liking the pilots more, just sayin’.

4. Xerox

Ad agency: Papert Koenig Lois.Lois’ first commercial for the brand showed a little girl making a copy.
Xerox’s competitors cried fraud.
So Lois, with FTC investigators watching, made the above spot.
Just brilliant. Read the whole story here.
This is the original “so easy a caveman can do it” idea.

7. Urban Coalition

Ad agency: Young & Rubicam.This commercial was created two years after the true-to-life water balloon incident you saw on Mad Men.
Not much has changed in 40 years, right new New Yorkers?
Via: Creativity Online.

8. London Fog

9. Lego Anti-War Ad

Check out that copy: “Let somebody else’s child get his kicks tracking a little kid through a gun sight. Let somebody else’s child build a bomb shelter in the hollow of an old tree.” Plus, a shout-out to the U.N. Amazing.